• Back to Trees
• Choosing New Trees
• Dangerous Trees
• Living with Trees
• Dutch Elm Disease
• Looking after New Trees
• Planting New Trees
• Trees & subsidence

LOOKING AFTER YOUR NEW TREES

• Keep a clear weed-free circle at least 3-4' (1m) around each tree for the first two or three years - other plants compete with trees, especially for water;
• Use biodegradable mulch such as bark, composted wood chips, or composted green waste - the mulch will keep weeds down and help to keep tree roots moist and at an even temperature. Top up the mulch regularly to keep it 2-3" (5-8 cm) deep.
• Water trees throughout their first two or three growing seasons, until they get established.
• Check any ties regularly, and loosen them as the trunk expands. Remove any stakes after the second or third winter.
• Plant ground cover plants around trees - don’t let grass grow up close to the trunk. Mowers and strimmers damage trunks and main roots.

If a tree grows in an unbalanced way, it is better to prune it while it is still young to encourage a better shape - young trees recover better from pruning than older trees. Make cuts at a side fork to leave a flowing branch line, and at the natural division between the branch and its parent stem, just outside the branch collar and branch bark ridge. This leaves a ring of tissue which will grow as woundwood over the cut.